6 Ways To Declutter and De-Stress Your Life

Are you constantly losing your keys? Forgetting to pay that bill? We may not always connect the dots, but our organizational skills can have a huge impact on our level of stress. You run around the house looking for your keys which increases anxiety and that makes you late, which add to the stress.

A cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind. Time management, in home and workplace organization as well and planning and thinking ahead can all combat daily stress. Make a schedule, stick to a routine, and have a place for everything in your home and office. Being organized can also help improve relationships, boost productivity, help you sleep better and believe it or not, help you maintain a healthy weight.

We’ve got six simple tricks to keep yourself organized in the new year.

Clear Your Counters

Do you have cluttered kitchen or bathroom counter? Clearing items off your counters will give them a cleaner and neater appearance and help you keep everything organized. Use plastic tubs, put items in cabinets or drawers. You will have a sense of calm when you see clean counters.

2

Have a Home for Everything

Hang up a hook or use a basket for your car keys. Put your coat away and keep your purse in the same spot. Organize drawers and cabinets based on the type of items - all spoons in one drawers, spatulas in another, for instance. When you put things back in the same place all the time, you will always know where they are and save time and stress looking for them.

3

Create Storage Spaces

Get furniture with storage areas such as ottomans with lift off tips, beds with storage drawers or other pieces of furniture with cabinet or drawer space. This will help give you a place to hide all those items that don't fit elsewhere to keep you house looking neat.

4

Toss Out Junk Mail

Newspapers, magazines and junk mail can all pile up if you don't keep after them. Go through mail over the trashcan as soon as you get it and toss what you don't need. Create a storage space for bills and other important paper and file them right away.

5

Purge, Purge, Purge

If you have not worn that purple polka-dot sweater that your Aunt Mary gave you six birthdays ago, it is time to say goodbye. If you have clothes, shoes, coats or other items bulging out of your closet, take everything out and only put back what you really wear. You can give the rest to charity so someone else can make use of what you do not need.

6

Create A Plan

Don't try to tackle everything all at once. Start with a junk drawer one day, a closet the next and work your way up to the garage. Make a schedule of how you plan to reorganize. Pick one day a week and schedule one or two hours to work on each area. That will make it much easier to handle. Once you get there, stay on top of it each day.

There are many books and online sites offering tips to organize your life. If you don't know where to begin, this information can help you get started. You can also hire a professional organizer. Once you get your home organized, you can create a system to keep it that way. By having an organized and clean environment, you will begin to notice changes in your physical, mental and emotional health.